Meth use declined in 2006-08, but police say nasty nature of the drug leaves no room for a letup

Methamphetamine, which started as a rural scourge and remains so in some areas, is drawing fresh attention from law enforcement because of simpler and more dangerous production methods. But from 2006 to 2008, use of the drug dropped — "dramatically so, in fact," notes Todd Frankel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"The number of people older than 12 who used meth in the previous month dropped by nearly 60 percent, to 314,000, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health," Frankel writes. "At the same time, illicit drug use of all kinds in the U.S. dropped by less than 4 percent.The survey results showed fewer people are trying meth, too. The number of people who used the drug for the first time dropped by more than 60 percent, to 95,000." (P-D chart)

But police officials Frankel interviewed said there's no reason to let up because "Meth is seen as a particular scourge because of its highly addictive nature and the toxic waste left behind by its production," the Post-Dispatch reports. (Read more)